The Best Thing
by Unknown-Uchiha
Summary: Shinoda Ren is just a typical transfer student, gaining the attention of various people, such as Tamaki and Kyouya. The thing is, she's hiding a little secret. So would she become the King's Faithful Queen? Or the Shadow Lord's Mistress? KyouyaxOCxTamaki
1. Chapter 1

_**The Best Thing**_

_**Chapter One: Ya… What?**_

"It is time for your first mission," My grandmother told me.

I always wondered why they would want me to do this, but then I thought… Well, I shouldn't be questioning their motives in the first place. So, I stood in front of this ridiculously huge high school – err, Academy, with a poofy, yellow girls' uniform on. I watched in caution as other students arrived in long, sleek limousines, or hummers, or both, as I only walked to school. I avoided contact with anyone, and made my way safely into the homeroom I was assigned to. The class was almost full, and it made me feel uncomfortable with the stares given to me as soon as I entered the room. I looked around, seeing that there were no spare seats for me; or at least, I didn't see any that were available. I stood by the door instead, waiting for the teacher to arrive.

"Good morning, Princess! Are you a new student?" A voice approached me.

I jumped, turning to my left, where a handsome, blonde young man was smiling at me. "Uh, yes. This is my first day," I answered, stepping back so there would be a bit of distance between us.

"How exciting! I'm Suou Tamaki, and I'm the president slash founder of the Host Club! You're most welcome to come by and visit any time!" He said, flashing a warm grin.

Were they already recruiting members into their club? Or did they just want customers? Why would a Host Club be in an exclusive school like this? At least, judging from the Host Clubs I've seen, they shouldn't be near a place like Ouran.

"Sure… I guess," I shrugged, trying not to look a little disturbed. "…I don't know my way around the school yet, so I might not be able to find the room you're in."

"Oh, not to worry, you just come along with me after class!" Tamaki nodded.

Crud. I wasn't counting on that to happen. "Oh. Uh, okay."

Soon, more students came rolling into the classroom, and they all turned silent in their seats as the teacher walked in. The teacher gave me a glance, and looked delighted when he realized I was the new student. He gestured me to stand beside him, and once I did, he introduced me to the quiet class.

"Students, we have a new classmate here with us today. Her name is Shinoda Ren. Please make her feel welcome, and hopefully you'll all be good friends," He said, and then turning to me, "I'm Tanaka-sensei. We all hope you have a satisfactory stay here."

I nodded, shaking his outstretched and slightly wrinkled hand. "T-Thank you, Tanaka-sensei."

He told me where to sit, which was a couple of seats away from Tamaki. We began homeroom in an orderly manner, something my class never would've done if I hadn't transferred. It ended about 20 minutes later. I checked my timetable, and saw I had English first. It should be easy enough to learn a couple of new things in the English language. The people back home crammed me with all this information to get to the top class, I'm pretty sure I'll be fine. Then, two hands slammed down onto my desk. I yelped, looking up at the blonde boy again. "Tamaki?"

"Sorry, I forgot to ask your name! Ren, huh? That's a wonderful name… for a pretty girl too," He winked.

I have nothing against people hitting on me. It's just when people hit on me, and I hardly know them, it starts to get a little alarming. And troublesome. I forced a smile on my face. "Thank you… Tamaki, but really, I'm not that great as you say I am…"

"Nonsense," Tamaki shook his head.

"Stop bothering Ren, Tamaki," A cool voice mumbled.

I turned a little to beside Tamaki, and, okay, I'm not going to lie, because, I mean, no one's going to be reading this, anyway… This is like my diary. I thought this guy was hot. Well, beyond hot. He was blazing like a freaking volcano. My heart skipped a beat when I first laid eyes on him… But I really shouldn't be judging people by their covers.

He looked over at me, and adjusted his glasses with his index finger. "My name is Ootori Kyouya. Welcome to Ouran Academy. Have you thought about visiting the Host Club yet? Knowing Tamaki, he's already informed you about it, correct?"

"Ah, m-more or less," I replied, focusing on staying cool.

"That's good to hear. I'd be glad to see you around in the club room. We always welcome newcomers, so don't be afraid to greet us," Kyouya told me, obviously looking like he wanted more customers.

Sure, he's probably the most attractive boy I've ever seen in my lifetime, but I can still look past his handsome face and fake smile to see he's only looking for money. It turned me off. I agreed anyway. "Yeah. Uh, I suppose."

Tamaki glanced towards the door, and nudged Kyouya. "Class is starting," He mumbled, seeing the teacher walking inside the classroom, big smile and all. Kyouya nodded, gave me another sparkly smile, and sat back down at his seat.

_**

* * *

**_

The first two periods had finished, not too slow, nor too fast. Tamaki approached Ren, gleaming with hope that she'll come along to Ouran Academy's Host Club. Ren was definitely hesitant, not exactly wanting to waste her time at another one of those playboy clubs. Still, Tamaki grabbed her wrist as soon as she'd finished packing, along with Kyouya, who calmly walked behind as they ran ahead. Soon, after racing through the corridors of Ouran, Tamaki, Kyouya and Ren stumbled across the Third Music Room. Tamaki touched the golden door knob, and turned it, opening the door to an empty room.

"This is the Host Club!" Tamaki announced dramatically. Then, he shrunk, looking around the room. "…Well, not really, seeing as the other hosts aren't here yet, but yes, THIS IS THE HOST CLUB!" He pulled his arms out again, as if he were presenting a gift.

Ren scanned the music room. It was nothing like the ones she saw in the alleyways and streets of Tokyo city, with dim lights, dirty men and slutty females. This place was bright and open, with elegant furniture, cute, freshly baked cakes, with the most exquisite teacups. Ren gaped, and felt her feet move around the room, letting her examine the refined equipment spread out in the space before her. She didn't know what to say. Maybe she just realized how superior this school was, or maybe it was the comparison between her old home and this new school. Either way, all she mumbled, was, "…Wow."

"What do you think about it?" Tamaki asked.

The corners of her lips lifted, and she smiled in disbelief. "I've never seen a place so… luxurious."

"Eh? Really? Oh! Perhaps you're like Haruhi then!" Tamaki exclaimed, as if he were realizing something huge.

She repeated, "Haruhi?"

"Fujioka Haruhi is a student here on a special scholarship. He is not wealthy like the rest of us, but he is still welcomed here at Ouran," Kyouya explained lightly, looking at a clipboard Ren had never seen before. "We do not judge people on their statuses."

"Oh… I see," Ren replied, still looking silently around the admirable area surrounding her. Then, she jumped, once hearing voices storm into the room.

"Hope we aren't late, my lord!" Two almost identical voices called out.

"Sorry we're late, Tama-chan, you see, I was suddenly hungry for cupcakes, but I found none in the cafeteria, and then I realized there were cupcakes in the Host Club! And since we were in the cafeteria, we were practically on the other side of school, and—!" A high pitched voice was interrupted by a few deep and soft words.

"That's enough," The voice ordered calmly.

Then, lastly, a feminine voice barged into the room, with obvious hints of worriment and frustration. "I'm so sorry I'm late! I was trying to pack my stuff, and then, I left the classroom, and then, I realized I forgot my pencil case, and I went to go grab it, and then, I saw that the door was suddenly shut lock, and then, I had to find a teacher, and then—!"

"It's okay my daughter~! I forgive your tardiness!" Tamaki's voice shouted, letting it echo throughout the spacious room.

Ren turned around, and was faced with a group of boys, a pair of twins, both with a mix of orange and red hair, messily spiked at the back, to give you that sort of devilish feeling. When she looked at the person beside them, she was taken aback slightly. It was the most feminine looking guy she'd ever seen, without even trying to look gay. His eyes were large, or at least, larger than the taller boys of the posse. Then, lowering her head, she almost gawked when looking at such a young boy within the clutches of these men. He had blonde hair, a little paler than Tamaki's, with big brown eyes, and a soft pink plush bunny, he looked even more childish. And finally, Ren lifted her chin, to look into the eyes of the tallest man of the group, with short, choppy hair, that was casually styled. She couldn't help but stare, looking deep into those almost onyx eyes.

All noise was blocked out from her body as soon as the tall man met with her eyes. She stood still, and soon, was broken out of her trance when Tamaki was waving his palm back and forth in front of her face. Ren blinked, then focusing her attention on the frantic blonde man. "Ah, um, I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Ren, you were a little out of it for a moment," Tamaki forced a smile on his face. "Is everything alright?"

She glanced at the tall man again. "Uh, everything is fine, Tamaki."

He sighed of relief, this time, a genuine smile coming across his face. "Oh thank goodness. Well, Ren, these are the host club members! Everyone, this is Shinoda Ren. Ren, this Hitachiin Hikaru and Kaoru, Fujioka Haruhi, you know, the one we told you about—"

"What did you say about me?" Haruhi asked, suddenly feeling self conscious and a little tense.

Tamaki shook his head. "Nothing big, my sweet child, it's just that you're here on a special scholarship."

"Oh," Haruhi mumbled, looking relaxed again.

"Ah, where was I? Oh, well, this is Mitsukuni Haninozuka, but we all call him Honey-senpai," Tamaki continued.

Ren piped up. "S… Senpai?"

Tamaki nodded, looking proud. "He may look young, but he's in his third year of high school! And last, but not least, this handsome man right here is Morinozuka Takashi, but instead, we call him Mori-senpai. And of course, you've already met me and Kyouya."

"Morinozuka…" Ren murmured quietly to herself.

"Pardon, Ren?" Tamaki asked.

She shook her head, stealing another glimpse at Mori. "No, it's nothing."

_**

* * *

**_

It was as if that whole week had flown by, and Ren was already feeling at home at Ouran. Her real home, unfortunately she couldn't go to, since her family was cautious about people following her back there, so they bought her a small apartment in a shared use building. Coincidentally, she lived right next door to Fujioka Haruhi. Haruhi took that time to spend some time to getting to know Ren, and soon enough, they became trusted friends, able to share secrets with each other, and knowing the other would never tell anyone else.

Ren found out about Haruhi's little gender related secret when visiting her apartment, too. She'd looked around, then snooping in her closet, and finding girls' clothing. Haruhi was cringing the whole time while Ren asked about the feminine attire. Then, Haruhi couldn't help but spill the beans. Ren promised she would keep it a secret though, because, there was no point in telling someone else about it.

Ren's relationship with the Host Club wasn't that bad either. She'd gotten on good terms with Tamaki, with a friendship not so deep like hers and Haruhi's, but it was still an adequate bond. With the twins, Ren decided herself that she would ignore their mischievous ways, and forget about the pranks they pull (unless, of course, if they decide to let her help out). There was a complete concord with the Hitachiin brothers. Her association with Ootori Kyouya was much like Tamaki's. Every time Ren visited the Host Club (which was every day, although she never really noticed it), she constantly designated him, and she couldn't lie, she was quite attracted to the dark haired man. Haninozuka was a friendly boy, so whenever he saw Ren, he would leap, and give her a big hug. He'd assumed that she was more than just a customer, for reasons unknown. Honey only felt that way, and he couldn't explain why he felt so close to Ren. Not that Ren minded; she enjoyed being a part of his circle of friends. Lastly, her alliance with Morinozuka Takashi was not what she had exactly wanted. He was an abnormally quiet person, and held a straight expression every minute of every day. Ren tried to strike a few conversations with him, to break the ice, but he never really answered properly. One worded sentences couldn't possibly be a proper conversation.

And Ren still couldn't ram the fact that all of them were insanely rich.

Soon, Sunday came around the corner, and Haruhi woke up early. It was her usual habit. Ren, on the other hand, embraced her sleep, appearing as if she wouldn't wake up anytime soon. Everyday, back in the city, her relatives would wake her up early to begin her chores, like everyone else in the family did. 3am was the latest her household would wake up, so to finally sleep in was an excellent feeling, she felt incredibly happy that she didn't have to do chores in the morning. That was, until, her phone began to ring loudly. Ren groaned, her hand blindly hitting her bedside table, searching for her cell. She got her hands on it by the sixth ring, and she answered it, groggily saying, "…Hello?"

"_Ren?"_ A familiar voice on the other line asked.

Ren immediately sat up, rubbing her left eye. "Obaachan?"

"_Ah, good. You're awake. Have you made yourself at home at Ouran Academy? Is everything fine?" _Her grandmother asked.

Ren nodded, forgetting to realize that she couldn't see her. "Yes, Ouran Academy is good. I've made a few friends."

"_That's nice. Now, I know you're wondering what your mission is, right?" _She questioned.

"Well… I've been asking myself that since I first got here. What am I supposed to be doing?" Ren wondered aloud.

"_We were waiting until you got comfortable in your new school before we told you," _Her grandmother began._ "That way, you wouldn't get any suspicions by students or teachers. We've heard about how intelligent these children are, so you can never be too careful." _

"Alright then…?" She replied, not very sure where this was heading.

"_Anyway, I want you to act very subtle about this. If you get carried away, someone will notice. And they will report you, and send you to prison, with your father," _Her grandmother strictly told her.

"My father has nothing to do with this mission, Obaachan. Please, just tell me what I'm supposed to do," Ren sighed, hating the way her grandma talked about her father. She always talked about the bad times with him, but he was a good guy. He just hardly showed it, but Ren knew; her father was a good man.

"_You must assassinate Morinozuka Takashi," _

"Mori… What!? Why!?" She was shocked. She wouldn't have gone on this mission in the first place if she had to murder somebody.

"_It's a long story, Ren," _

"I've got the time. Tell me! I can't hurt him without a good enough reason!"

She heard her grandmother take a deep breath on the other line. _"Let's just say that the Morinozuka family isn't on good terms with ours."_

"And?" Ren urged. "What did they do so badly that our family wants to kill one of theirs?"

"_Erm… It's really hard to explain, Ren."_

"Then explain it! Why won't you tell me!?" Ren cried, disliking her grandmother's stubbornness.

She then heard her grandmother mumble distantly, _"Here. Your sister wants to know why she has to kill Morinozuka. Tell her. I can't tell her!"_

"Obaachan?"

"_Hello?"_

"Tatsuro?" Ren asked, now hearing a deeper voice take over the speaker.

"_Uh, hey, sis. So… How's it going in Ouran? Rich snobs, am I right?"_ Tatsuro's voice seemed hesitant, and with little nervousness.

"Tell me why you want me to kill him! Now! Stop stalling!" She interrogated, beginning to get peeved.

"_Ugh. Will you just do it!? It's got all this information and crap, and I'm really not fucked to tell you all about it," _Her brother answered, obviously already pissed off.

"Then I guess I won't do it," Ren spat back.

She heard him scoff. _"You don't want to do that, Ren. Disobey us, and we will __**all**__ go after you. We might just kill you for disobeying us."_

Ren was then caught off-guard. "You can't be serious. I've been with the clan for my whole life. You can't kill me!"

"_Yes, we can. We've done it to other members who decided to disobey us. Do your job. Kill Morinozuka and we'll welcome you back warmly with no murderous intent," _Tatsuro ordered harshly, and then hung up on her.

Ren stared blankly at her cell phone, not believing what she just heard. Kill Morinozuka Takashi? She would never, ever, kill somebody. Only at times where she had no other choice. She had a choice here.

Either murder Mori, or get murdered.

Totally a win-win situation. Not. At once, Ren felt a headache rush in, a sign that she was feeling stressed and irritated. "Crud. Crud, crud, crud…" She muttered to herself.

Suddenly, her front door started to be hit upon obstreperously. Ren stood up, not in the greatest mood, but still managed to tie her hair back and rinse her mouth (in an attempt to get rid of that stupid morning breath) before opening the wooden door. And there stood the Host club, with an irritated looking Haruhi.

"Uh… hello?" Ren mumbled.

"My princess! Why are you still in your pajamas! It is already noon!" Tamaki bellowed, smiling hugely.

Ren glanced at her wall clock, and it was barely past 12. "Um, I needed to sleep in, that's all. So… why are you here?" She questioned, not exactly wanting to hear their reasons.

"We decided to visit Haruhi's house, and then we found out that you lived next door! Isn't it great!?" Tamaki grinned, being abnormally excited today.

Ren shook her head. "That's… nice to hear. Uh, I would welcome you inside, but… I'm planning to go out today."

"Where?" The twins spoke up, having a bit of a cheeky glint in their eyes and smirks.

Ren shrugged, estimating what they might do if they found out where she was going. "Oh, no where in particular. I just have to visit somebody today."

"Who?" The twins asked again, determined to know the answer.

"Just a relative," Ren replied, hoping she wasn't giving too much away.

"…Sounds boring," They answered, faking their yawns.

She nodded. "Don't try to do anything too mischievous today, you two," Then she glanced at Haruhi with sympathy, knowing that she would be stuck with them for the rest of the day. "Please don't give Haruhi a hard time. Oh, and Haruhi?"

Haruhi looked up, trying to plaster a smile on her face when she visibly couldn't. Not when the Host Club was there to annoy her. "Yes?"

"Cute clothes," Ren lifted the corner of her lips, and then waved goodbye to everyone else before closing the door on them.

Ren sighed, knowing just who to take a visit to after she took a shower and changed. Walking through the town, she took a train to Tokyo city. Little did she know, the Host Club followed her inconspicuously, thanks to the twin's persuasion. Once getting off the train, Ren walked in silence through the crowds of the city, then finding a taxi to take her to Tokyo Detention Center.

She went inside to show them the visiting order, and once they let her in, she took a seat in front of the glass, holding the black phone to her ear. Her father, Shinoda Kenichi, took a seat on the other side of the glass, and once taking the phone, he said, "What are you doing here? People will find out you that you know me."

Ren shook her head. "What's this deal about the Morinozuka family?"

Her father stiffened, then muttering to himself, "I told them not to take you on that mission."

"What did they do?" Ren asked again, a little louder than last time.

Kenichi breathed. "…Our clan had bribed them generations ago to keep a murder they'd witnessed a secret. It was one of the more violent fights, we weren't expecting it to be so rough. So we gave them the money, but they still reported it to the authorities. They stole our money, so we'll steal one of them."

"Money?" Ren repeated. "This is about money? How much are you talking about here?"

"Ten million yen," He answered.

"Ten million!?" She gasped. "All that, just to keep a secret?"

"It was almost everything we had. It was a pretty big fight, Ren. After we found out they told the police, half of our clan was arrested, the other half hid away," Kenichi mumbled.

Ren cringed. "…I don't want to kill him, father."

"You'll have no choice but to," He said, shifting in his seat. "Unless you want to be killed by your own family members."

"He's my senpai."

"They're your family."

She stopped breathing for a moment, and frowned. "But I'm not the one who's to kill. Couldn't they just get someone else to do it?"

"They know that you're the one he'll trust," Kenichi told her, as if it were supposed to make her feel better.

"…I'll see you later, dad," Ren murmured, setting the phone back in its place, and leaving the room.

Ren exited the large building, random thoughts racing through her mind. She thought it was ridiculous that they would fight because of money. At that moment, she was confronted.

"Shinoda… Ren?" A voice said behind her. "Shinoda… No wonder that surname sounded so familiar…"

She turned around, then looking face to face with the Ouran Host Club. "W-What are you guys doing here!?"

"We heard everything," The twins told her solemnly, holding up an earphone, and pointing at a wire on her shirt they previously placed on her on the train.

Ren inhaled quickly, throwing the wire onto the ground. "So you know that he's my father. Big whoop."

"This topic isn't to be taken lightly, Ren. Shinoda Kenichi is the leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi family," Kyouya called out. "You do realize he's the leader of the most powerful clan of the Yakuza, correct?"

Ren clenched her fists. "Of course I know that. Does it hurt to have a father that is coincidentally the leader of a Yakuza family?"

"It doesn't hurt. The fact that you want to kill Mori-senpai does," Tamaki said.

Ren's eyes widened. "I-I wasn't going to kill him! I really wasn't! I'd rather be killed than to kill Mori-senpai!" She felt the back of her eyes burn. She detested it when she was confronted with the truth. Every time she was, she would cry.

"And how can we believe you?" Kyouya asked.

She bit her bottom lip. "…I'll do anything. Absolutely anything to win your trust again."

The Host Club members glanced among themselves, and looked over at Kyouya, who nodded. "Very well then… Work for the Host Club until graduation. You must obey our every order no matter what we ask, and we will trust you."

Ren took a small glimpse at Mori, who was unemotional, but behind those dark eyes, you could see the tiniest tinge of hurt. She gave a defeated sigh. "Absolutely anything… Fine."

Kyouya smirked, pushing his sleek glasses back with his index finger, just like the first time they met. Suddenly, Ren disliked Kyouya's new attitude. Maybe it was the Kyouya who hunted for customers she was falling for. But this, this was definitely the real Kyouya. And she hated it, so much, she couldn't describe how much irritation this guy caused her, just by one request.

So what if Kyouya was perhaps one of the wealthiest people in Japan? Shinoda Ren was the daughter of one of the most powerful Yakuza leaders in the country. She could take on Kyouya, despite the policemen he may have hired. She could start a war between the criminal world, and the justice world. It was all so easy.

…I guess Ootori Kyouya has finally met his match.

* * *

_I've decided that I will stick with this Ouran fanfiction xD Hope you readers enjoyed this chapter! I will, of course, be working on my other ones, but I've been reminiscing the good times with Ouran, and couldn't help but write about it XD This time, it's Kyouya and Tamaki 8D So, pretty please review so that I know what you guys think! I will write the next chapter, depending on what you guys think about this! So please, with a well-made cosplay on top, PLEASE REVIEW~!_


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Best Thing**_

_**Chapter Two: Female Manager**_

It was Monday morning, and Ren's alarm clock went off by the break of dawn. She may have hated waking up early, but she always fell in love with the early morning sunrise. It made her feel good about it for the rest of the day. She stretched and yawned, taking a quick shower before finishing the rest of her morning routine. Once she was dressed and ready in her uniform, she quickly prepared a small bowl of cereal before heading outside onto the balcony. Ren glanced at her watch as she scooped a big spoon of Cheerios. It was about time when twilight was approaching, and once it did, Ren smiled to herself.

To her, there was nothing better than seeing the sun rise and set. It was a fantastic was to start the day ahead and a relaxing way to end it. She waited until the sun fully rose, brightening the town in front of her, and she finished her breakfast, washing the bowl and spoon prior to leaving the house with her bag and a thin scarf. Ren then knocked on Haruhi's door lightly and calling out, "Haruhi? Are you ready yet?"

The door opened, and there was Fujioka Ryoji, Haruhi's father. His wavy red hair was loosely tied back, and he wore a white shirt with worn out sweatpants. He looked as if he'd woken up five minutes ago, still looking tired. "Morning, Mr. Fujioka. Is uh, Haruhi ready yet?"

He gave her a weak smile, still lacking sleep. Ren guessed he came home late from the okama bar. "Good morning, Ren, my dear. I'm afraid Haruhi's still in the shower. If you want, you can wait for her here, if you don't mind Haruhi's slight tardiness… It is a little early though."

Ren shook her head lightly. "I'll be fine, thank you. I'll go ahead to school. Please tell Haruhi I'll meet her there."

"Will do," Ryoji sighed, closing the door again to pour him a cup of instant coffee.

Ren took quiet steps down the shared building, and began her walk towards Ouran Academy. On her way there, it was impossible not to think about her killing Mori. In her world, she would never murder him. In reality, she couldn't help but hesitate a little. Ren most certainly did not want to die; she had a lot of goals she wanted to fulfill in life. But she most certainly did not want to murder Mori. Then again… He never really opened up to her. Would Mori be missed in the Host Club? Ren got the impression that Mori was the silent person of the group, and never spoke unless necessary. Was he that close to the other members? Or is he just another prop for display in the Host Club?

Ren wondered about this the whole time whilst walking to school. Ren couldn't believe it herself, but she was actually considering it. As selfish as it may sound, she didn't want to die. She hated herself for thinking such mean thoughts, and decided to forget about the topic, and will never mention it again. If something drastic happens, like, say, her family start chasing her, then maybe it would be a good time to talk about it. Other than that, she was going to forget all about the mission she was given, and live life at Ouran Academy from then on. She would work her butt off for the Host Club. Sounds exciting, huh?

Soon enough, she reached the gates of Ouran within fifteen minutes. She checked her watch again, and saw that it was only 7:35am. Ren considered going back home to wait a while, but it was pointless anyway, seeing as by the time she went home; it would already be almost 8. So she walked herself up to her homeroom, and saw nobody inside.

_What am I supposed to do?_ Ren thought to herself. _I can't just sit here alone for another half hour._

Then, her phone began to vibrate. She jumped, quickly taking her cell out of her pockets, hoping it wasn't a family member on the other line. "H-Hello?"

"_I saw you walk in through the gates, so I'm assuming you're in the school already," _A voice said.

It was that unforgettable cool voice that gave her small goose bumps that ran through her skin every time she heard it. "Kyouya…?"

"_Yes. I'm in the Third Music Room. Come up here and you'll start working today," _Kyouya replied, obviously happy about having another person to order around.

Ren groaned as quietly as she could. "Alright… I'll be right there."

The pair hung up on each other and Ren walked swiftly to the music room where the Host Club was located. Once opening those doors, she was not greeted with the usual bright red rose petals that flew into her face accompanied with a flash of blinding light. No, today, only Kyouya was in the room, none of the Host Club members had arrived yet. Kyouya looked up from his laptop, and he smiled darkly. "Welcome, Ren. I hope you're prepared to do all of the chores the Host Club has to offer you. After all, you do want to win our trust, am I right?"

Ren gulped silently, feeling her muscles clench together. "Yes. I want you all to trust me. What do you want me to do first?"

"Hmm," Kyouya mumbled, loving how tense Ren looked when being teased. "Who knows? I could let you get the cakes from the chefs in the cafeteria for the customers who come in at 8. Or," He stood up this time, placing his laptop lightly on the coffee table in front of him. He walked slowly towards Ren, seeing as she hadn't moved from that spot since she entered. He leaned close to her ear, whispering in a cruel, but seductive way, "…Would you like a pleasurable way to gain our trust?"

Ren stepped back, realizing just how close Kyouya had gotten towards her. She couldn't help but blush when improper thoughts ran through her mind. "I'll get the cakes!" She exclaimed, quickly rushing out the door to avoid anymore perverted fantasies come to her head.

On the way there, she clumsily wasn't watching where she running and accidentally collided into another person. She apologized, "I-I'm sorry, uh, really. I shouldn't be running in the halls."

"That's right, you shouldn't be running," His voice said.

Ren looked up, and realized, she'd bumped into Suou Tamaki. "T-Tamaki!" She cried.

"Good morning, Ren," Tamaki replied, dusting off his clothes.

She noticed that he didn't call her Princess. Ren knew herself that she didn't exactly like being called a daughter of a king or queen, but she didn't hate it, either. So, hearing this sort of stung, because she knew it was about what he heard on the weekend. Ren winced. "I'm sorry."

"You already said that," He answered, this time, adjusting his tie.

She shook her head. "No, I mean, about… the Morinozuka… thing."

"Oh," Tamaki mumbled. "I suppose we'll all have to keep a close eye on you to see if you really have no murderous intent towards Mori-senpai."

"I really don't!" Ren cried. _Much._

Tamaki breathed lightly. "So, where are you going? Shouldn't you be in the club room with Kyouya or something?"

She nodded. "He told me to get the cakes for this morning's round of customers."

"All of them?" Tamaki looked at her in disbelief. "He told you to get all the cakes before 8?"

"Well, that's what he said," Ren shrugged. "Is there something wrong with getting cakes?"

"Just that the cafeteria is on the other side of the school!" Tamaki groaned. "And the fact that you have to get 50 cakes within… 15 minutes! Geez, what is that Kyouya thinking?"

"I can handle it, Tamaki," Ren murmured. "It's just 50 small cakes."

"Separated on 6 different trays! How on Earth will you manage to get all the trays up here within 15 minutes!?" He urged.

Ren shrugged, a little nervous. "I don't know! I'll figure a way out!"

"No, you won't," Tamaki muttered. Ren didn't like Tamaki's new attitude either. He was rude now. "I'll help you. Just this once."

"Eh—?" A confused Ren was then taken by the wrist, and with a worried Tamaki, they both raced down the hallways of Ouran, to the cafeteria, where 6 trays containing 50 cakes were waiting for them.

_**

* * *

**_

Ren panted, trying to catch her now lost breath. Tamaki breathed lightly, wiping off the imaginary sweat on his forehead.

"Kyouya," Tamaki spoke boldly. "I understand that Ren will be working for the Host Club, but making her do jobs that are much too hard is simply ridiculous. I ask you not to take her on such difficult tasks. We may not be able to trust her, but she is still a lady."

"A person who wants to kill somebody else couldn't possibly be called a lady," Kyouya replied.

Ren cried, "I told you! I didn't want to kill Mori-senpai!"

Kyouya didn't answer her, and turned around to examine how well the cakes were made. Ren huffed, and once hearing the twin's voices enter the room, she groaned. She knew how much the twins were going to enjoy bossing her around, even if she was a year older than them.

"Ohh, look who's already here!" They both chimed, wrapping both their arms around her neck.

Ren wasn't exactly the tallest 2nd year student around. She was the same height as Haruhi, so Hikaru and Kaoru found it easy to tease her since she couldn't exactly tower over them.

"Good morning, Ren-senpai," Hikaru smirked.

Kaoru grinned. "I hope you're ready with what we're going to ask you to do today!"

"I… can't wait," Ren cringed.

Then, the doors opened again, and in arrived Haruhi, Honey and Mori. Ren gave a weak smile to them, hoping they weren't angry at her. She was relieved when Haruhi and Honey sent her sweet, genuine smiles. Mori, on the other hand, was still straight faced, like he usually was, but Ren wanted some sign that he forgave her.

Honey jumped off Mori's back, and hugged Ren, as he did every time she visited. "Good morning, Ren-chan!"

"G-Good morning, Honey-senpai," Ren reluctantly hugged him back.

Honey quietly whispered, so only he and Ren could hear. "Honey forgives you, Ren-chan. So does Mori. As long as you love us like your family, then we'll be friends with you forever."

She was glad to hear that Mori forgave her. But she flinched when she heard about her family. "Of course, I wouldn't want to hurt any of you, ever. You guys are the only friends I have in this school. I won't give you all up for anything."

Honey's eyes slowly sparkled, and whilst beaming, he exclaimed, "Ren-chan! We love you! Love you so much!"

Kyouya scoffed, and avoided Ren's glare as soon as she turned. Honey looked at Tamaki. "What theme will we be doing today, Tama-chan?"

"Today, we'll all be wearing KIMONOS!" Tamaki answered, gallantly revealing a kimono for each host member of the club.

Ren couldn't help but feel slightly left out, knowing that she was merely working for them, not a host in any way; and she wouldn't be wearing a kimono with them. She stood up straight. "Are there any other jobs that need to be done before I head back to class?"

"Why are you going to class so early?" Honey asked.

"Well," Ren replied. "I know you guys will soon be busy hosting, so I don't want to be a bother or anything if I'm here."

"Nonsense," Tamaki spoke. "We have a kimono for you as well."

"What?" Ren perked up immediately, and stared at the simple, yet detailed designed kimono in front of her. "That's… for me?"

Tamaki nodded. "You may not be a host, but it would hurt our image for today if you were to wear your uniform whilst serving us."

"What am I supposed to be doing while you're hosting?" She asked, still looking at the kimono.

"Think yourself as a waitress," Kyouya told her. "You're serving the food and beverages to the customers."

Ren growled quietly, detesting how smug he looked when he called her a waitress. So she was aiming for the trust of Mori, Honey, Haruhi, Hikaru, Kaoru and Tamaki. Kyouya didn't even matter anymore. So, after serving the customers in the morning, the hosts (and worker) returned to the Third Music Room to continue their work.

The twins showed off their 'brotherly love', whereas Mori and Honey showed actions similar. The girls in the room couldn't scream any louder. Tamaki loved the attention given to him, and Haruhi eventually found out that the so-called tears the host members brought were eye drops. Ren continuously served cold drinks, hot tea, and traditional cakes and sweets for the customers. Kyouya eyed her from a distance, when he wasn't calculating all the money that was coming and going from the club.

At the doorway, a quiet and shy girl stood, hiding half her body from the view of everyone else with the wall. Ren noticed her presence, but not as quickly as Tamaki and the twins, who were already welcoming her inside with their charming act. Although she didn't seem to fall head over heels like most girls did, because what she did was quite unexpected. She punched Tamaki. The girl exclaimed, "You're no prince! You're just a fake!"

Then, she looked around the room, and once spotting Kyouya, she leaped towards him, with arms outstretched, crying, "Kyouya-sama!"

_**

* * *

**_

She introduced herself as Renge Hoshakuji. So she somehow ended up as our Female manager. God knows how, though. I think it may have been caused by her ignorance.

It seemed that the following day, when the Music Room was empty, Tamaki had thought about it, and decided to let her stay as the manager for the Host Club. Just for the reason that it would allow Haruhi to get in touch with her feminine side. I didn't like the idea of seeing her for another day, perhaps it was because of her violence towards Tamaki, or maybe it was her irritating voice when she yelled Kyouya's name. But there's no way that I would be jealous. Not of that Demon Lord. Or that Narcissistic King.

Whilst discussing this, Renge entered the room, with a fresh batch of blackened cookies. Oh, how _delicious_. She smiled, quickly skipping along to Kyouya, holding up the charred food. "Kyouya-sama, I learnt how to bake cookies! It was my first time in the kitchen… It was kinda scary!"

"These have such a nice roasted color," Kyouya commented, giving her a warm (yet so obviously fake) smile.

Behind them, Honey began to eat a piece of the cookie. "It tastes terrible…"

"Honey, don't eat it, it's bad for your body," Mori warned, looking worried for the short boy.

Renge turned towards him, with a look that imitated Medusa's and began to go wild on the poor boy. I watched the otaku burst her anger out on everybody. She told off the host club members for their personalities, like it was wrong to be their own selves. From then on, Renge ignored our confusion, and began to tell us the personalities we should have to become the ideal Host Club (With the exception of Kyouya, because he's just _SO_ damn perfect).

With Honey, she told him with these exact words, "YOU WILL BE THE ONE WITH THE CUTE FACE, BUT IS THE DEVIL ON THE INSIDE!" With Mori, she said, "Mori-senpai! You have to make sure you put your life on Honey-senpai no matter what!" With the twins, "You two! You'll have to accept the fact that people can't tell you apart! Go and join a basketball team!" With Haruhi, "Haruhi is a super honor student who often gets bullied because of his poverty!" And reaching Tamaki, she yelled, "As for _you_! You are always complimented on your looks, which is extremely important to you, because you are… 'The School Idol who suffers from Inferiority Complex'! THE LONELY PRINCE!"

Tamaki paused, letting her words sink into his not-so large brain. "Oh…" He mumbled. "That… That suits me so well…"

I inched away from the scene, hoping not to be told about my flaws in my personality. I took a small step; it was only a tiny shuffle. But she heard. Somehow, the otaku girl had heard me. I sucked in a quick breath, and stood as still as possible, as if I didn't move, she wouldn't be able to see me. She _is_ that naïve, right?

"Don't think I can let you get away, Ren," Renge smirked. She pointed at me, firmly and boldly with her index finger, and began. "Ren, you seem to have become the Host Club's slave, rather than just a small employee. I do happen to know that you are a transfer student here, just like me, only, not so well-known. Can you see the flaws in your personality yet?"

I shook my head slowly, clenching my fist tightly, not wanting to hear the rest.

"Hm," She gave me a smug smile. "Seems to me that you're a very… how do I say it, mysterious type of person. Nobody knows anything about you. You haven't made any friends yet, have you?"

"Wha—?" I blurted out. "Of course I have friends! These guys right here are my friends!"

"Oh, can you really be so sure?" Renge pretended to think. "Honestly, Ren. Kyouya has told me that Haruhi lives next door to you. So I suppose he has to be naturally polite to his neighbors." Haruhi's jaw dropped. "Honey-senpai is friendly to everyone, so how can you be sure he's a real friend?" Honey's eyes widened at this. "Mori-senpai only ever follows Honey-senpai, so maybe he doesn't like you at all!" Mori shifted barely. "The twins are troublemakers, so you can immediately tell they're only using you for tricks and pranks," Hikaru and Kaoru frowned simultaneously. "Tamaki, well, he tries to get every girl on his side. So his gestures to you are merely fake!" Tamaki gasped dramatically. "And Kyouya-sama… Well, he just doesn't plain like you!" She smiled.

I had to use all my willpower not to attack her and gouge her eyes out just then. My knuckles went white. "I know that's not true. At least, about everyone but Kyouya," I grumbled, giving him a quick glance. "And could you speed it up? I don't want to hear anything about these people not being my friends."

She shrugged, and sighed, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Ren, you are the mere servant of the Host Club, who has no friendship whatsoever because of your unexplained background. Students at Ouran are curious about you, but they will never approach you. You are like Haruhi and Tamaki. Only worse!" Renge still gave me that creepy smile that said, "I win."

Then I leaped for her throat.

* * *

_YEEEEYYYY~~ I THINK REN LOKS SHOOPAH GANGSTA IN MY MIND 8D I've never been a big fan of Renge, so heh, I thought she would've looked excellent with that last sentence XD_

_ANYWAYS! Please review, because I know you people are reading this! Please tell me about what you think! Hopefully you all liked it!  
_


	3. Chapter 3

**The Best Thing**

**Chapter Three: Catfight**

"SCREW YOU!" Ren screamed, leaping at Renge's throat.

The Host Club members were startled, and immediately began to try and break up the fight that Ren seemed to be winning.

"You don't know anything about me, so don't you dare start accusing my friends of not liking me! And think about what you say before I rip your face off!" Ren cried, pulling at Renge's light brown hair. Ren growled loudly as Renge yelped in pain and shock.

"Kyouya-sama! Help me! Get this savage off me!" Renge plead.

Kyouya and Tamaki, taking instant action, separated the two struggling girls, Tamaki taking Ren, and Kyouya taking Renge.

"H-How dare you attack me like that?! You have absolutely no right to be hurting anybody, especially me! You should leave the Host Club immediately!" Renge scolded rudely. "I know Kyouya-sama wants you out!"

Ren hissed. "You… You little… Bitch!" She swore, making the Hosts gasp in the slightest manner. "You have no right to be talking about my friends on their behalf! I know they like me! Your big mouth is full of fat lies!"

"Ren, enough!" Tamaki spoke boldly.

Ren paused, giving Renge the darkest glare, before turning around stubbornly, and stomping her way out of the Third Music Room. Prior to opening the door, she replied, "Seriously, you'd rather pick some snob otaku princess from France than someone who's willing to do anything to be trusted!" She scoffed. "I'm so disappointed."

So she left the room without any protests from the Host members. Ren, feeling angry with herself and the Host boys, punched the wall nearby. "Stupid… freaking…"

"You know ladies shouldn't use that sort of language," A voice behind her said quietly.

Ren looked up, facing the blonde idiot, who seemed to be genuinely compassionate this time. She sighed with a small grunt. "Whatever. I'm no lady. Kyouya said it himself."

"Since when did you care about what Kyouya thought?" Tamaki asked.

"I don't." Ren answered. "He's just a bastard who enjoys rolling on a pile of money. His whole world revolves around money. He's obsessed with money."

"We all know that, too well," Tamaki leant against the wall where Ren had punched. "But he's our friend."

"I understand that he's your friend. I just don't get why," Ren mumbled, leaning next to him. "He's… not very friendly. At least, his real personality isn't exactly the most appealing thing to be around."

He chuckled. "It's weird, how we're best friends, but we're almost like opposites."

Ren nodded, feeling the slightest bit of depression coming onto her for saying those things to the Host Club. "You know I didn't mean those things earlier."

"Hm, I didn't believe you would brush us off so easily," Tamaki pretended to think about it.

Ren forced a small smile on her face. "Yeah. I uh, hope I didn't hurt anyone. I was just pissed off at the stuck-up snob."

"Don't let her bother you, Ren. You know all those things she said aren't true. Even about Kyouya. He likes you," Tamaki said softly.

She snorted in response. "Please. You know Kyouya only ever thinks about money. He doesn't have enough space in his big head for me."

"I wouldn't think of it that way," Tamaki replied. "He seems to be intrigued by you every so often. He gets this feeling I'm closer to you, so he occasionally asks the question about you. Not all the time, but I get a few."

"Huh. I wonder if you're just saying that to please me," Ren murmured, taking a glance at the tall blonde boy.

He froze, giving her a nervous smile. "Well… It is my job," He laughed lightly.

Ren sighed. "Thank you anyway. You can tell everyone I'm sorry. But I don't think having to put up with Renge is going to motivate me into wanting your trust."

"Are you saying that you want to leave us now?" His attention grew.

Ren shrugged. "I don't know. Probably. I wouldn't want to hang around a person who would beat me down about my friends. The only friends I have in school."

Tamaki touched Ren's shoulder gently. "Don't say such things. We'll ask Renge to stop, even if she doesn't listen to us, we're going to try our best to make sure both of you get along. Just don't leave us for such a reason."

"I doubt we'll get along, but…" Ren looked up, seeing the tiniest urge in Tamaki's violet eyes. "I guess I can… Deal with her."

_**

* * *

**_

The rain poured hard, not in tiny sprinkles, but it was more like a giant bucket of water poured over us. Tamaki stood in the middle of the scenery, clutching tightly onto his soaking wet button up shirt, see-through thanks to the water. The sight made my heart skip a beat, for the slightest second, from just seeing this completely different boy in front of me.

Tamaki sighed, "…I'd rather be alone…"

_Oh my God…_

"AND CUT!" A voice interrupted my light trance, and I immediately went back into focus.

I saw Tamaki running over to Haruhi, most likely asking if she liked his performance. I most certainly did.

"Hmph. Ren! Your scene is next! I don't care if you mess up, you only get one take. Now hurry up and get yourself at the scene!" Renge frowned, obviously not enjoying my presence.

"Will do," I growled. "You crazy otaku bitch." I whispered.

I sat myself at the scene, where I was apparently supposed to be all by myself as the other students lingered around the courtyard for their break. I was given a few books, to look studious, because that was going to be my image… A silent bookworm. I sat down on the edge of a step, getting ready to be filmed. The other members of the Host Club ran over to watch the filming. And it soon began.

"And… ACTION!" The director yelled.

The extra actors began to walk around in the background, and I flipped open to one of the pages in my textbook, writing down formulas and whatnot. Suddenly, I looked up, seeing all the groups of friends that surrounded the schools outside area. It made me feel empty.

My lips parted. "No one…" I lost focus.

I blinked, looking back down at my books, then overhearing a few girls a couple of meter away from me.

"Why don't you go up and talk to her?" One of them urged, with a big grin on her face.

"No way!" Another giggled. "Have you heard the rumours about her?"

"No… What are they?" They looked interested.

"I heard that she was raised in a poor family, and was trained to be a strong person or something. Like, she bribed the headmaster of the school to let her have a scholarship for the school with her body!"

"Oh my God, no way! You liar!"

"Well, haven't you seen the way the headmaster looks at her? It's like he likes her more than the other students!"

"Yeah but… who would want to sleep with _her_?"

"Who knows…? But I gotta say, nobody knows anything about her background, you know? She just suddenly transferred, and she's never spoken to anyone… But she talks to the Host Club… Apparently she works for them. Don't you wonder what she does to them when all the customers are gone?"

"Now that you think about it, she always looks at Kyouya-senpai and Tamaki-senpai a lot!"

"I know!"

I gripped my book tightly, feeling hurt about these cruel comments. Who the hell wrote this script? It's obvious. They weren't true. They were all lies. I wish… I wished I could stop them then and there, but I couldn't, because I knew they were acting. Everything being filmed was a lie. So I had to sit by myself, hearing rude comments about me. And it hurt not doing anything about it. I wasn't raised in a poor family. I've never done such things to the headmaster. I don't sleep around. I wasn't a slut! …And then a tear slid down my cheek.

The girls noticed this. "Oh God, I think she heard us!"

"What!?" One of the girls turned. "Oh no… Quickly! Get away before she hurts us!"

I continued to cry, seeing the crew suddenly loving the emotion I was expressing. "…Mean… It's all lies…" I sobbed quietly, wiping the salty water with the back of my sleeve.

"And… cut…" The director mumbled.

Everyone began to move around, losing focus of my acting. Tamaki was the first to approach me, looking at me with wide eyes and saying, "Well, that was excellent! How did you cry so easily!? I didn't even see you use any eye drops!"

I sniffed, "Uh, I guess it just came to me. Thanks, Tamaki."

"Ren-chan, Ren-chan!" Honey's loud and high pitched voice cried. He ran, hugging me tightly and whimpering, "That was so beautiful! And so sad! You have such great acting skills! I wanted to run on set and comfort you so much! You looked so sad!!!"

"I'm fine now, Honey-senpai," I smiled. I lifted my head, looking up at the very tall Mori.

"Mori-senpai…?" I murmured.

Mori glanced at me, and without his expression fazing, he answered, "It was good."

I took in a sharp breath, realizing these were probably the first proper words Mori had ever said to me. "T-Thank you, Mori-senpai!" I bowed in thanks.

"Huh. That was terrible!" Renge's voice cut in, with a big fat frown on her face. She stormed over to Ren and the three boys, glaring immensely at the girl herself. "That was horrible acting, Ren. Those tears were so obviously fake; you should really learn to control them. You wouldn't immediately cry once you hear somebody talk bad about you, right?"

"No, I wouldn't," Ren replied, standing up to get to eye level with Renge. "Because by the time I find out they've been bad talking about me, I would punch them before I gave them the opportunity to tell anyone else."

Renge looked furious. "Well! You would just get yourself into trouble like that! Geez, someone needs to teach you how to be a fine lady. I already know I am."

"A girl who obsesses over men who aren't real isn't a lady. A girl who forces boys into the personalities of those imaginary men isn't a lady. A girl who doesn't give a person a chance to speak isn't a lady. You, Renge, are most certainly not a lady. You are not even close," I hissed.

Renge growled, and clenched her fists. "A girl who attacks people isn't a lady. They're best to be described as a barbaric man."

"Take that back!" I spat.

"Make me!" She argued.

"Renge, Ren! Please, stop fighting! Us members of the Host Club do not enjoy seeing you two arguing over such little matters!" Tamaki piped up.

The two girls huffed, and gave each other death stares before turning away.

The host club stared, with worried eyes, not knowing which side to take on. Renge, of course, was incredibly pushy, and believed that her whole world revolved around these stereotypical characteristics of men. Ren, too, wasn't the best example of a fair maiden. Swearing, attacking, and bad talking about others is not something to be appreciated of. Either way, they were going to have to pick someone or no one.

And that's exactly what they did.

* * *

Ren stomped away from the film set, and leaned against the wall at the back of the school. She sighed, clenching her fists, muttering, "Why won't they take my side!? Why won't they send her back to where she came from!?"

Punching the bricks behind her, she growled. Then she jumped, startled at the feeling of her phone vibrating in her pocket. Of course, all cell phones are meant to be switched off during school hours, but Ren saw no reason to do that. She took out her cell quickly, and answered in a quiet and irritated voice, "What?"

"_Yo, sis."_ The voice on the other line replied.

She sucked in a breath, her hands feeling clammy almost instantly once hearing her brother's voice. "T… Tatsuro."

He chuckled lightly, as if he hadn't threatened her earlier before. _"So, how are things going in Ouran? You understand where I'm heading with this, right?"_

"I talked to father about this," I answered in a bold tone.

"_You talked to— what!?" _Tatsuro yelped. _"You fucking idiot! You've practically asked for a death wish, you retard! Man, when I get my hands on you, I swear to fucking God, you will regret ever consulting our father of this. Do your mission with no more questions. Don't speak of this to anyone, and if I find out you have, __**I will not hesitate to murder you**__."_ And once again, her brother didn't bother saying goodbye, and hung up.

Ren cringed, mumbling, "…Shit."

"You do know that cell phones are meant to be switched off during school hours, right?? A voice behind her said coolly.

Shivers lightly ran down her spine and she turned, facing her classmate. "Kyouya…"

"Not to mention that that type of language isn't exactly appreciated in this environment," He slid his glasses up slightly with his index finger.

"What do you want?" Ren spat.

"Nothing, really. But Tamaki is asking for you to go somewhere and fetch something for him," He explained calmly.

"Why should I do what he says? Can't he get it himself?" Ren answered, trying to be polite, seeing as she didn't hate Tamaki as much as Kyouya.

"Just come with me," Kyouya sighed, taking her wrist and dragging her with him down the hallways. They continued to walk down until they reached a small supply closet.

"What does Tamaki want from a supply closet?" Ren wondered, giving Kyouya a weird look.

"Oh, nothing much. Go inside, and get the blue bucket. It should be easy enough to spot," He replied.

"Blue… What the hell?" She frowned, hesitantly opening the door to the closet.

"Kyouya-sama!?" A high pitched and only ever so recognizable voice yelped.

"Wha—" Ren was startled, and without even blinking, she was pushed into the small space with Rengo, who was already inside.

Ren turned back, and saw the Host club, and the twins, who pushed her in, quickly slamming the door shut and locking it. Ren hit the door numerous times, and screamed, "LISTEN YOU GUYS, THIS ISN'T FUNNY! GET ME OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE UP TO, BUT ONCE I GET MY ASS OUT OF THIS CLOSET, YOU'RE ALL GOING TO REGRET SHUTTING ME UP IN HERE!"

"Well then, we guess if we let you out, you'll hurt us, so we won't unlock the door until you and Renge solve your little problem, because none of us enjoy watching the both of you fight," The twins chimed together.

Ren stopped punching the wooden door, and mumbled, "…That's what this is all about?"

"Why else?" They replied.

Ren turned to Renge, who was standing across from her with her arms crossed. She looked disappointed and angry, both obviously because she couldn't see her beloved Kyouya.

"Great, instead of being outside and spending time with my wonderful Kyouya-sama, I'm stuck in here with some stupid peasant," Renge breathed rudely.

"You wanna say that again, princess!?" Ren snorted, rolling up her sleeves.

"Gladly. Instead of spending time with my lovely Kyouya, I have to spend time with a filthy— ARGH!" She screamed as Ren leapt for her again.

"Oh… I have a bad feeling about this…" Honey murmured, clutching onto his stuffed toy bunny.

Haruhi nodded. "I think it was a bad idea to leave them both in a closet like this, Tamaki-senpai…"

Tamaki shook his head. "They will get tired eventually. And once that happens, they will talk."

"WHY DON'T YOU LEARN HOW TO KEEP YOUR TRAP SHUT, YOU SPOILT BRAT!?" Ren grunted as she scratched Renge's face.

"WELL WHY DON'T YOU LEARN HOW TO STAY AWAY FROM MY KYOUYA-SAMA!?" Renge cried as she tried to push Ren off.

"What!? I haven't been going near your stupid boyfriend!" Ren urged as both the girls began to toss and turn in the small space.

Renge's dress began to rip, and so did Ren's. "What do you mean!? You only spend time with him everyday at school!" Renge hissed.

"He's my classmate, idiot! The only friend I have in my class is Tamaki, and Kyouya is his best friend! I can't just tell him to screw off! It's like telling Tamaki to screw off!" Ren answered harshly.

"Then tell him to leave you alone! I don't want to see any other girl near my beloved Kyouya-sama!"

"Why should I listen to you!?"

"Why would you want him to hang around you!? He's an idiot!"

"Like you should be talking! I actually like having Tamaki around!"

Light flooded the compact area, the door unlocking from the outside, and the twins grabbing the two girls and pulling them apart. The girls heaved a loud breath, obviously tired from their violent quarrel.

"Okay… definitely a bad idea putting them in there together," Kaoru commented.

"Jeez, now look at how hurt the both of them are!" Haruhi frowned, not sure who to feel more pity for, Ren or Renge.

Kyouya shifted, taking his side to Renge. "I will pay for all damages done, Renge. Allow me to escort you to the nurse's office to get your wounds healed. A new uniform has already been ordered for your satisfaction."

Renge immediately smiled, taking hold of Kyouya's arm and out of Hikaru's grip, letting him lead the way to the sick bay.

"Kyouya…" Tamaki mumbled.

Ren growled, clenching her teeth and fists. She wished so badly to attack them. Murderous thoughts ran through her mind; she considered killing them then and there, then running away before getting caught by the witnesses. But she knew she couldn't. Not if she wanted to be friends with the Host Club.

"…Bastard," She hissed quietly.

Kyouya paused, smirking as he glanced at Ren. "There would be no benefit in assisting you, Ren." Then he continued his walk down the long corridor with the French girl.

Ren's breath was lost, and she fell to the ground. Kaoru was taken aback as she fell out of his arms, and dropped to help her back up.

"Ren-senpai? Ren-senpai, are you okay!?" Kaoru asked worriedly.

Ren whimpered as she sat on the soft carpet. "I hate him. And I hate her. I wish they would change, so much," She now cried in anger.

"Ren-senpai…" Haruhi murmured.

"I hate holding myself back, especially to those two. I just…" Ren squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't handle not being able to… finish the job. I can't but feel paranoid that maybe… my family will…" She cut herself off, not wanting to talk about it.

"…This is how you were raised?" Honey asked gently.

"You could say that," Ren answered quietly, looking up to see Kyouya's and Renge's figures slowly reach out of sight. Her head began to spin, her stomach feeling like somebody had punched it (It was Renge). She was breathless. "I just need some…"

_Rest._

_

* * *

_

_Whoa, I haven't updated in the longest time. Well, anyway, I apologise for that. High school life is getting a little hectic. Stupid teachers kept piling on homework and assignments. Seriously, someone needs to punch them all and let them see the stress they're putting their students through. I'm not kidding either, I hadn't had this much assignments in my whole life. Anyway, besides my excuses, hope you all found this chapter fun enough to read, and I'll try my best to post some more chapters on this and my other fanfictions as well. _

_I don't think Ren is a Mary-Sue. Do you? I don't think so. She's too violent to be a Mary-Sue, right? Review, please~!_


	4. Chapter 4

_**The Best Thing**_

_**Chapter Four: Threats and Chances**_

"Ah, thank you so much for contacting us, doctor," A quiet voice said, sounding like an old woman's.

"It's no problem, Ms. Shinoda. Ren just needs a little bit of rest before going on with her school work and whatnot. It seems that she may have been very stressed over something," The doctor replied. "But it isn't serious. I'll leave you with her now."

"Thanks, doc," A masculine voice thanked.

The curtain pulled back slightly, and Ren was sound asleep on the bed in the nurse's office. "Ren…" The elderly woman sighed. As soon as the doctor left the office, the man who accompanied the elder slapped the student's cheek.

Ren frowned, and blinked her eyes open. She gasped, sitting up immediately and pulling herself away from the pair. "Grandmother, T-Tatsuro… What are you doing here?"

"We received a call from the school saying that you had collapsed," Her grandmother replied. "It seems that you are okay now."

"Yes, I'm fine. Go back home… please," Ren avoided eye contact with them. Her brother was there, and he was violent.

Tatsuro sniggered. "You didn't think we would leave without discussing your recklessness, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ren spat quietly, clutching onto the blankets.

Her brother leaned over to her, touching a lock of her hair. Ren was backed against the wall, taking quick and silent breaths. "You've become a stupid child, Ren," Her brother murmured. "So discipline doesn't hurt… Much."

"Don't touch me!" Ren slapped his hand away, then glaring intensely at him.

Tatsuro smirked. "This is one of the first times you've actually ever hit me, let alone stand up to me." He leaned over at her again, his face inches away from hers. "I wonder if sending you to this snobby school was a bad idea. Maybe the spoilt brats you're hang around with are influencing you."

"They're not spoilt brats!" Ren protested. "They're only rich! They just don't understand the lives of people like us."

"Still, nonetheless, they act like a bunch of snobs. Don't say you disagree, because we all know it's true," Tatsuro replied coolly.

Ren grimaced, growling, "Just go home."

"Fine, we'll go home," Tatsuro answered. "But one more thing…" He took the liberty of lifting Ren's chin, bringing her eyes to his. "You only have three days left 'til your mission ends. If I find out he's still alive, consider yourself done. You'd better get going, and quick, because these next three days may just be like hell to you."

_

* * *

_

Returning to the Third Music Room, Ren opened the doors slowly. School had ended at the time, but there were still the after hours to be attended to. A few customers were in the club room, making do with the club members. The only one who noticed her enter was Honey, who screamed it out, who then made everyone else notice.

"Ren-chan!" Honey yelped. He grabbed his bunny, and immediately ran to her, tackling her. "Are you okay!? You just passed out and we didn't know what to do, so we took you to the nurse's office, and then we had to leave because the doctor said you were alright, and then—"

"RENNNNNN~!" Tamaki cried, "Are you alright!? You blacked out, so we didn't know what to do! So we took you to the office, and then the doctor said you were going to be okay, but I couldn't help but feel worried for you! So are you okay now!? What happened, I couldn't stop—"

"Senpai! Are you sick? You collapsed right in front of us!" The twins and Haruhi asked. "I mean, we weren't expecting it at all! We—"

"I'm, uh, I'm fine, you guys. You should really return to your customers," Ren answered her worried friends. She looked around for her bag, and once finding it, she took it, and headed for the door again.

"Eh, Ren-chan, are you going home now?" Honey asked.

She nodded. "Uhm, I don't feel that great, so I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Wait, Ren, at least let me give you a ride home!" Tamaki piped up.

She shook her head. "You have customers to attend to, I'd feel better if you went on as usual, and forgot about what happened this afternoon."

"Ah, no, it's okay, Ren-san. We were just about to leave! It's starting to get late," The last of the customers smiled. "We don't want you going home alone after coming back from the nurse's office."

"Oh… If you guys are leaving then…" Ren mumbled.

"Its fine, Ren-san. We will be back here tomorrow anyway!" They nodded as they exited the music room.

"Alright, I guess that means I'll be giving a ride to Ren! Haruhi! Let me drive you home! You live next door to Ren anyway!" Tamaki grinned.

Haruhi sighed. "I guess… It will save me some time anyway…"

"Alright~! Time to go then!—"

"Oi, we want a ride too!" The twins groaned.

Tamaki paused. "Eh? Well, I was sort of hoping that—"

"Yay, highness is giving us all a ride home!" The twins proclaimed, pushing Tamaki out of the way and rushing downstairs to the limo.

_

* * *

_

"Geez, you two are really troublesome…" Haruhi breathed, looking out the window.

They both shrugged. Honey, Mori and Kyouya had also hitched a ride, more on the fact that the twins had forced them. Honey was more than happy to take a ride with the gang, Mori followed, and Kyouya was the one who actually was forced into going inside the limo. Once reaching the girls' apartment, Haruhi gasped as they stopped.

"Oh my God…" Haruhi whispered.

"Haruhi, what's wrong?" Tamaki asked, looking out the window like her. Then he gasped, and pointed frantically at the sight in front of them.

Hikaru, Kaoru, Honey and Mori took a look outside the window. Silently, Ren took exited the limo, and turned to walk up the steps of the apartment. She looked up after fiddling with her bag to find her keys. Her jaw dropped slightly, and she dropped all that was in her hands. "Oh… no…!" Ren cried.

Her apartment was ruined. It was broken into, the door was slammed down. The windows next to it were smashed, sharp pieces of glass were scattered everywhere. The sight was horrible, but what held inside would break Ren. She ran up the stairs as quickly as she could, not giving a care about the glass that could easily stab her feet. Ren clumsily tripped into her home, and once taking a glance at the area, she clenched her fists and punched the wall beside her.

Tatami mats were ripped, doors were broken in half. The furniture she owned was each damaged carefully. The plates and glasses were all slammed against the floor, leaving a mess on the kitchen floor.

Ren walked into her bedroom, and saw her bed sheets were ripped, mirrors were broken, and her lamp was obviously of no use to her now. She leaned against a wall, and she sighed. "It's times like these where I hate being me…"

"R-Ren-senpai?" Haruhi's voice called out from the doorway.

Ren came out from her room, and looked at Haruhi. Haruhi looked worried, and a little scared. "I-I… Are you okay, Ren-senpai?"

She smiled weakly. "This is… just great." Ren felt like having a breakdown, but surely, that wouldn't have helped anybody. Glancing at the busted table in front of her, there was a note. By this time, all of the Host Club members were upstairs by the doorway. Ren reached down for the note.

_Two days._

_You'll be next._

Ren read the piece of paper over and over again. Finally, after re-reading it ten times, the message sunk in, and she hissed. She crumpled the note and threw it harshly in front of her, though it did no damage. Ren sucked in a breath, held it, and then let it go. She continued to inhale and exhale several times in front of her friends.

"R-Ren, are you okay?" Tamaki asked.

Ren grunted, taking out her phone furiously, and dialing in her brother's number. Once picking up, she screamed. **"FUCK YOU, TATSURO! HOW FUCKING DARE YOU DESTROY MY APARTMENT AND EXPECT ME TO STILL FOLLOW YOUR ORDERS. FUCK YOU AND I HOPE YOU GO TO HELL!"**

"_Two more days, sis."_

Then she snapped her cell in half, growling insanely. The Host Club jumped in slight fright, not enjoying the sight before them.

"R-Ren-senpai…" Haruhi quivered.

Ren took another breath after smashing her phone in pieces. She whimpered, feeling the back of her eyes burn. She sank, back against the wall, and hugged her knees to her chest.

Honey was the first to approach her. "Ren-chan, who would do such a thing?"

Ren shook her head. "M-My f… family. Brother, to be more precise," She sighed, clutching onto her hair, avoiding contact with the club members. "…I'm sorry you had to see that."

Honey's eyes began to tear up, and with his adorable face, he began to cry, hugging Ren in the process. "W-W-W-Why would your own brother want to do such a thing~~~!?"

"I have a good guess as to the reason behind all this," Kyouya spoke for the first time after Ren collapsing. Everyone glanced at him as he explained. "He's getting angry with the fact that you won't murder Mori-senpai."

"Ah, it makes sense, but why would your brother want to destroy your home like this?" Tamaki wondered.

"We're not like other families, Tamaki," Ren lightly scoffed. "We're a part of the Yakuza."

"I still don't see the point of making you unhappy," He replied.

"Well… You can stay over at my place, Ren-senpai," Haruhi offered kindly.

"She wants to stay in a bigger place, Haruhi," The twins spoke. "She can stay at **mansion**!"

"Nooo~! As Ren's proper big brother, I should be giving her the place to stay!" Tamaki answered with all his might.

"Who said that **you** were her big brother?" The twins stuck their tongue out at him.

"MOTHER! THE TWINS ARE TEASING ME AGAIN!" Tamaki bawled as he clutched onto Kyouya.

"Ren-chan can stay at my house! I'll guarantee that you'll have lots of fun with my toys and we'll eat a lot of cakes together!" Honey beamed.

Ren shook her head, "I couldn't possibly—"

"…She'll stay at my place."

"M…Mori-senpai?"

_

* * *

_

"R-Really, I could've just stayed at Haruhi's apartment, Mori-senpai," I nervously sat in my new room.

Mori's home wasn't like the mansions I saw in foreign movies, where they had a billion stories, a billion rooms, and all of it had that western touch. No, Mori's home was like a mansion, but it was the typical Japanese styled home. Similar to those Japanese homes you see in the movies with the wealthy princesses and such. …Why do I keep referring to movies?

The room I was to stay in was a Tatami room. Well, the room itself was bigger than my old apartment. It made me envy the rich.

"No, it's my fault you are having troubles with your family. I need to make it up to you somehow," Mori replied as he prepared the bed for me.

"It's not your fault, Mori-senpai. My brother's just… very demanding," I answered him. "But I won't follow him. I swear on my life… I won't ever hurt you."

Mori stared at me blankly, making me feel just a tad bit uncomfortable. Then he sighed, a small smile creeping onto his lips. He patted my hair as I looked up at him. "Thank you."

"Taka-nii?" A young boy's voice spoke as they slid open the door.

I turned to look at him, and was a little surprised to see how similar he looked to Mori. He was of course, shorter than Mori, but he was indeed, still quite tall. Judging by the name he called my senpai, he was Mori's little brother.

"Ah," He said. "W-Was I interrupting something…?" The boy began to blush.

"No, you weren't," Mori replied calmly. He glanced at me. "Satoshi, this is Shinoda Ren, she'll be staying with us until her apartment is fully renovated. Ren, this is Satoshi, my little brother. He's in his 3rd year of Ouran Middle school."

"Eh!? She'll be staying with us!?" Satoshi exclaimed. "Is she your girlfriend or something!?"

I jumped, shaking my head. "N-No! I'm just a friend!"

"What's this entire racket going on?" Another voice boomed. This time, it was deep and somewhat commanding.

Another tall figure entered the room. He was obviously the oldest of the bunch, and looked to be the father of the two sons. He gave a look at me, and turned at Mori. "Takashi. Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Father. This is Shinoda Ren. She'll be staying with us until her apartment is renovated," Mori explained in a monotone voice. "Please allow her to live here for the next few weeks."

"Ren, huh…" His father mumbled quietly. "I'm Morinozuka Masashi… Uh…"

"He's not very good with girls," Satoshi sniggered. "He even has trouble making our mother happy, so just bear with his awkward attitude."

"Satoshi!" His father smacked him across the head. Masashi looked back at me. "Um, well, ignore what my son just said… Uh… K-Katsumi!"

My head tilted as he called out a different name. A woman soon arrived at the door of the bedroom, and she peeped in. "What's wrong, Masa-kun?"

Now the sight of her made me gasp. She was beautiful, and not tall like the men of the family. She was just a bit taller than me. This woman had long flowing black hair, with a sweet face to match. Her hairstyle was similar to mine, in fact. Masashi pointed at me, and once the woman's head followed his direction, she gasped just a tiny bit.

"Katsumi… This is… Ren. Shinoda… Ren," He told her, seeming to struggle when saying the words.

With startled eyes, she looked at me, and after a few minutes, she smiled warmly. "S-Sorry," She apologized for the staring. "I shouldn't be staring, it's rude… I… I'm Morinozuka Katsumi, mother of these two boys and wife of Masashi… It's nice to meet you… Ren. You certainly have become beautiful. Ah, I mean, you know, you look very pretty," She quickly said, her cheeks reddening a bit, making me feel flustered slightly.

"Thank… Thank you, Morinozuka-san," I bowed in thanks.

"Oh, please, call me Katsumi," She smiled.

I nodded hesitantly. "Thanks… Katsumi-san."

* * *

It was beginning to get late, and everyone in the household was getting ready for sleep. After having a bit of a talk with Mori, he stood, about to leave to go to his own room.

I stood with him, and once he reached the door, I tapped him on the shoulder lightly. He turned, looking down at me.

"Hn?" Mori murmured.

"A-Ah… Thank you… For letting me stay. Really. I can't be anymore thankful," I timidly said, looking at the ground.

Mori smiled like he did earlier that afternoon. "It's the least I could do."

Later on, I lay in the unnecessarily large bed, trying my best to go to sleep. But there was always a sense of uncertainty running through my mind. I glanced at the alarm clock.

2:00am.

It was abnormal for me not to be asleep by that time. I tossed and turned, but I couldn't help but feel unsafe.

_**

* * *

**_

The next morning, Ren woke at 5:00am, as usual. She got out of bed, and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. After looking at herself in the mirror, she screamed like it was the end of the world. Her bedroom door was opened harshly, and the whole family was up and worried.

"Ren-senpai! What's wrong!?" Satoshi asked frantically.

Ren stepped out of the bathroom and she was already crying. Her appearance had changed. Ren's used-to-be waist long dark hair was all chopped off, obviously with no care. It wasn't even, it was snipped randomly, and all in all, it was a horrible haircut.

…Not to mention the blood now running down her arm.

"Ren! Your arm!" Masashi yelped with wide eyes.

Ren instantly looked down, seeing the number of cuts on her right arm. She gasped as Mori quickly took a towel to stop it from bleeding. Ren sobbed, as she looked over at the bed and saw the pile of hair she once had, and then touching the tips of the hair which were above her shoulders now. She could tell by the shape and texture of her hair, it didn't look at the least bit attractive.

Once Katsumi took a wet towel to wipe against her wounds, she asked, "Ren… how did this happen?"

"I-I don't know! I know I don't sleepwalk, and I wouldn't have cut myself either!" Ren answered, in a scared voice.

After wiping the blood away and making sure wound dried up, Ren looked at her arm, cursing herself not being able to wake up when she had been cut. As she looked over at her scar, she gasped, with frightful eyes. She'd been engraved on.

_ONE MORE DAY._

She choked, stuffing her face in her palms. "N-NO!" She cried, and cried, and the Morinozuka family watched in concern, not knowing what to do. Mori gently touched her back as she sobbed.

"Ren… Who did this to you?" Katsumi questioned quietly.

Ren lifted her head, to face the caring woman. "M-My brother… Tatsuro."

Katsumi's expression wasn't the one to be normally expected. She had wide eyes, and she looked at her husband in fear. "Masa-kun…" She whispered. Masashi nodded, not liking the situation one bit.

Pity was on Ren, but she could've cared less.

Time was running out, and she had no where to run.

* * *

_Sorry for the short chapter. **Now, I want you to review, BECAUSE I KNOW YOU'RE READING THIS. SERIOUSLY. Review pl0x!** Durhurhur._


	5. Chapter 5

**The Best Thing**

**Chapter Five: Tamaki**

As the Morinozuka family looked over Ren in concern, Takashi stood, and once reaching the bed, he picked up a piece of cloth hidden under the pillow, taking a small whiff of it, he mumbled, "Its chloroform."

"Chloroform?" Katsumi repeated. "They forced chloroform on Ren? Do you remember anything of the sort happening?"

Ren cringed. "Well, I sort of... do... but I didn't think of it this morning... I thought it was just some dream. I-I can't believe my own brother would do such a thing to me."

Katsumi sighed. "Well, if anything, we should help you out. Satoshi, call the Hitachiin brothers."

"Huh?" Satoshi questioned. "Why the Hitachiins?"

"Well, you should know the brother's have a fantastic sense of style, so of course they'll be able to fix up Ren's hair. Let's try to look at the positive side of things, shall we?" Katsumi radiated a sweet aura, smiling gently with sympathy to Ren.

She certainly was the perfect woman.

Once Satoshi called the brothers over, they grumpily trudged to Ren's room. Of course, the Morinozukas hadn't realised that it was still around 5 in the morning.

"This better be impor— WHOA," The twins gawked at the sniffling girl, still sitting on the floor of the room.

"Ren-senpai, what happened!?" Kaoru gasped.

Of course, Ren was a little too upset to explain why her hair was in a mess, and why her arm had a phrase cut as a scar. Satoshi explained what they saw, and the twins questioned why her brother would do such a thing. It didn't take too long for them to realise why. Soon, the brothers whipped out their hair kit, and they worked with what little they had. In no time, her hair was cut into a spunky yet cute style, the twins grinning, proud with their work. Ren thanked them, but in all seriousness, she was too afraid to think of anything else but her brother.

What was he going to do to her?

She was going to find out soon.

**

* * *

**

Ren took a ride with the twins, Mori and Honey. Honey heard about what happened to her later on that morning, and he swore not to tell anyone unless she asked for him to. Everyone stared at the female of the group, some students missing her long flowing hair, others enjoying the cute cut, and complimenting on it, most didn't even notice. The five headed straight to the host club to attend to their duties.

It was obvious who overreacted to Ren's appearance.

"REN!? IS THAT YOU!? WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR!? NOT THAT I DON'T LIKE YOUR NEW HAIRCUT, BUT WHY'D YOU CUT IT!? IT WAS SO LONG! WHY, REN? WHY!?" Tamaki cried in agony.

Ren said, "You don't need to overreact, Tamaki... It's just a haircut."

The Hitachiins, Mori and Honey glanced at her.

"You're not going to tell him?" Hikaru mumbled.

She shook her head. "If he's going to act like this just about my hair, I'd rather not worry him about my brother."

He shrugged, returning to his duties. Ren placed her bag down, and began to do her chores, as every other day started. Beside her, a tall figure approached her. "Do you want to tell me what really happened?"

Ren jumped, and she looked up to meet eyes with Kyouya. "K-Kyouya. No. Nothing happened."

"You know I'll find out eventually. Try telling me now before I hear it from someone else," He replied, taking a small look at the host club members, other than Haruhi and Tamaki.

"I don't even know why you would bother, Kyouya. What good does it do you, knowing my business?" Ren asked, gripping onto the tray of teacups she held.

"It doesn't," Kyouya answered.

Ren sighed, rolling her eyes angrily. "Then don't bother," She hissed under her breath.

"... But I feel like I want to know what happened, purely for the fact that I don't know something about you and that... I should do something about it. I just want to know."

**

* * *

**

It was then when my heart skipped a beat. Don't ask me why, it just did. And I wasn't asking for it to happen, either.

"W-Well, I'm not going to tell you anyway," I huffed, walking away before doing anything I might've regretted.

The bell rang for homeroom and as the customers and host members packed themselves up, I hesitantly walked out the door. Tamaki nudged me, saying, "What's wrong Ren? You don't seem all that hyped up today. Or maybe you're not bothered to be at school. But school is a good thing! You learn so much and—!"

"No, I'm just a little tired. I uh, probably didn't get enough sleep," I replied quickly.

"Are you sure? Oh, is it something about your brother?" Tamaki carelessly blurted out this question.

I paused. "N... No. It's not my brother. I'm fine, Tamaki."

Tamaki tilted his head to the side and pouted slightly. "Alright... Just talk to me when you want to, yeah? C'mon! We're going to be late!"

Grabbing my hand, he ran down the corridors of Ouran Academy, racing to the class, while I unwillingly was dragged along. Of course I wouldn't tell Tamaki about my brother's threat this morning. He knows what my brother did to my apartment, so letting him know about death threats won't make the situation any better.

I thought it would be best if I didn't worry the king of my problems.

I mean, Tamaki.

**

* * *

**

The bell rang for the end of the fourth period, meaning lunch was on. Tamaki and Kyouya walked with me to the cafeteria, and once we finished ordering our meals, we took a seat on one of the tables. Although I didn't have an appetite, the two boys beside me ate normal. I took a bite of my food and cringed. I didn't need to eat after all. Everything tasted like vomit if I was worried. Kyouya noticed this.

"Is this food not to your liking, Ren?" Kyouya said with his eyes closed as he placed his fork down. "I would've at least expected you to enjoy the food at a school like this."

"N-No, the food's great," I forced the food down my throat. I almost gagged, but I smiled nervously. "This is d-delicious."

"Really? Well why don't you have my lunch, considering that you enjoy it so much," Kyouya passed his plate to me.

"Ah... N-No thank you. I'm not that hungry anyway..." I pushed the plate back.

"Nonsense," He replied, "You're so skinny. You must have some food to become more than just skin and bones," He returned it to me.

"Kyouya..." I sighed, frowning. He was obviously just doing this to irritate me.

"You're Shinoda Ren, aren't you?" A voice from in front of our table boomed.

Tamaki, Kyouya and I looked up, and three boys from Class D looked at us with stares and glares. These were the sons of Yakuza men.

I gulped quietly. "Y-Yes. Why?"

He smirked. Leaning down close to my face across the table, until he was a few inches away, he whispered, "Your bro says good luck. He doesn't have any faith in you anymore."

I clenched my fists. "Do I know you?" I asked with my teeth gritting.

"No. But I know your brother. And since he asked me to deliver this message to you, I suppose I had no choice. I obeyed him, unlike you," He snarled.

Like that time with Renge, I had to use all my willpower to not leap at him right there. "Well, tell that son of a bitch to fuck off. I'm asking you as well to go away." I growled as hard as I can without looking at him.

The boy in front scoffed. "Whatever. I won't be the one getting the beating later. And trust me; your bros got a little pain in store for you."

I stood up, pushing my chair back abruptly. "Just. Go. Away." I hissed, giving him the death stare of my life.

He took a step back. "What, is little Shinoda Ren going to bitch slap me?"

"Don't you dare try to provoke me. I'm dealing enough with my brother, I don't need you to remind me of what he'll do," I said in those calm-yet-furious voices.

"Heh," He said. "C'mon. Give me what you got, princess. You won't be able to hurt me anyway. You're just a tiny girl."

A sexist comment? Oh no he didn't.

I grabbed Kyouya's plate from earlier and slammed it into his head, which the plate then broke into pieces. The boy yelped, and wiping the food and blood off his face, he gave me a look. Not exactly a happy one either.

Maybe I went too far.

Or maybe I didn't go far enough.

The boy grabbed my collar, and punched me in the face. Original, right? Kyouya and Tamaki stood up and broke us apart. It was then when I realised that the cafeteria went silent and everyone's eyes were on us. I held my bleeding nose as Tamaki yelled at the boy, "What were you thinking, punching a girl like that!?"

He argued, "She's the one who threw the god damn plate at me first!"

"She wouldn't have done that if you hadn't gone away like she asked you to," Kyouya pushed his glasses up.

"I wouldn't have had to if she'd just listen to her bro!" He answered.

"Ren isn't heartless like the rest of you!" Tamaki defended me.

"Please, just..." I cringed. "People are listening. I don't want the whole world knowing my background." I sighed as I covered the bottom half of my face to hide the bleeding.

Tamaki turned to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. He looked at the pack of boys before leading me out the door.

**

* * *

**

"Ow," Ren mumbled as Tamaki touched her face with a damp towel.

"Stay still," Tamaki muttered seriously. "I can't have you walking around with half a face of blood. Not to mention a stained uniform."

She took this time to take a look at his face. Although it was an odd thing to do, she had never seen Tamaki so serious before. It wasn't as if she didn't like it. Ren thought the Tamaki that brooded was actually very attractive. But of course, she wouldn't let him know of this fact.

Ren saddened as Tamaki slowly wiped away the blood and placed an ice pack over her bruise. "I can do this myself, Tamaki."

"I know you can. But then I wouldn't have a better place to talk to you about what happened with your brother," He replied.

"Of course there are plenty of places to talk about that... Like for example, not here, where I have you wiping my bleeding nose," Ren pouted.

The corner of Tamaki's lips lifted slightly. "I'd rather talk in a quiet place like the sick bay than in class or at the music room."

Ren breathed as silently as she could. Tamaki was awfully close to her, any silly move would've been very humiliating.

As Tamaki held the ice pack over the purple mark, he said, "You want to explain why this brother business has become more serious than I thought?"

"There's not much to explain," Ren mumbled.

"How about the haircut?"

My eyes quickly glanced at his. "What about it?"

"I'm not as dense as you think, Ren," Tamaki smiled. "Who cut it?"

"The Hitachiin twins."

"I mean who cut it before them?"

"I don't know."

"Seriously."

"Seriously. Someone cut it in my sleep."

Tamaki looked up at me.

"I mean, I cut it before I went to—"

"You don't have to lie, Ren," Tamaki interrupted. "I can be worried about you from time to time."

"You have enough to worry about," Ren answered.

Tamaki breathed out and took the ice pack off my nose. Wiping off the condensation and remaining blood, he said nothing. Ren stayed quiet as the awkward silence crept upon them. Tamaki pressed his lips together. "I should probably get you a spare uniform."

Ren nodded, "Yeah. I'll get changed out of this behind the curtain."

Tamaki agreed, and left the sick bay. Ten minutes later, he came back with a bag, and as he examined the contents of the uniform, he called out, "Sorry, but all we had left was the boys' uniform. Hope you don't mind Ren."

"No, it's alright," Ren reached for the bag with her arm out of the curtain.

But Tamaki dropped the bag before she could grab it. "Ren... your arm..."

Ren gasped quietly, and took her arm back in behind the curtain. "Um, the bag?"

"Why is your arm covered in bandages?" Tamaki pulled the curtain aside, not noticing that Ren was in her underwear.

Grabbing her arm, Tamaki looked at Ren saying, "How could you not have told me about this!?"

"I didn't want to wo—"

"But this is serious!" Tamaki urged. "You've been injured!"

"Well what could you have done about it!?" Ren cried, on the verge of crying from his yelling.

"...I may not be the most powerful person out there," Tamaki paused, holding her wrist even tighter. "But I can at least be that one person you can rely on every time you're sad."

"T-Tamaki..." Ren whimpered.

He let out a small sigh as Ren began to lean on his shoulder and sob quietly. He gently touched her bare back and brought her small body towards his. Then he looked down and his face turned red within half a second.

"R-Ren..." Tamaki's heart paced quicker.

"Please, just be my shoulder to cry on," She sniffled.

"B-But Ren..." He stuttered.

Ren clutched Tamaki's blazer tighter. "Tamaki..."

"R-Ren... You're, uh, um, well, you're..."

Ren looked up at him. "You wanted to be there for me, so why aren't you?"

"Because you're in your underwear..."

Let's just say that Ren wasn't the one who got the nosebleed this time.

* * *

_I am so sorry for the late chapter. My computer caught these viruses, and we had to get it fixed. When I got it back, all my files were gone, including my fanfictions-in-progress. Not to mention school assessments, eurgh. I'm so sorry. I tried to make this chapter have a little more Tamaki in it. Hopefully you all enjoyed it, and it would mean so much if you readers took the time to review. Thank you all._


End file.
